# Masterman — Kipps character guide

> Masterman in Kipps by H. G. Wells.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Masterman

**First appearance:** 0016-vii-london

## Snapshot

A self-dramatizing socialist who turns a working-class dinner into a sermon on hope, leaving Kipps quietly dazzled by a world of ideas he never knew existed.

## Who they are

Masterman arrives among Sid and Mrs. Sid's circle as the sort of guest who lifts a glass and pronounces on Hope, the Light of the World, while everyone else eats. His magnificent self-pity and rhetorical flourish make him both absurd and genuinely stirring, especially to young Kipps, who has never met anyone who talks about society and destiny as if they mattered. He plants the first seeds of Kipps's vague longing for something beyond shopkeeping, and his talk of hope and life echoes through the early chapters as Kipps stumbles toward his inheritance.

## Relationships

### [Arthur Kipps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/characters/arthur_kipps)

_friendship_

Masterman is an older, cynical socialist who befriends Arthur and offers sharp critiques of class society, influencing Arthur's worldview.

### [Sid Pornick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/characters/sid_pornick)

_friendship_

Masterman and Sid bond over shared socialist ideals and intellectual discussions, forming a mentor-like friendship.

### [Arthur Kipps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/characters/arthur_kipps)

_friendship_

Masterman is an older, cynical socialist who befriends Arthur and offers sharp critiques of class society, influencing Arthur's worldview.

### [Sid Pornick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/characters/sid_pornick)

_friendship_

Masterman and Sid bond over shared socialist ideals and intellectual discussions, forming a mentor-like friendship.

### [Arthur Kipps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/characters/arthur_kipps)

_friendship_

Masterman is an older, cynical socialist who befriends Arthur and offers sharp critiques of class society, influencing Arthur's worldview.

### [Sid Pornick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/characters/sid_pornick)

_friendship_

Masterman and Sid bond over shared socialist ideals and intellectual discussions, forming a mentor-like friendship.

## In the story

### [London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/chapters/vii-london)

Delivers a lengthy, bitter monologue on social injustice, the futility of wealth, and the sickness of society.

### [IX: The Labyrinthodon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/chapters/ix-the-labyrinthodon)

Approves of Kipps' decision to marry Ann, criticizes social climbing, toasts to Hope.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/characters/masterman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/kipps_se/characters